Posts Tagged ‘cuff’

… jeans. I don’t even know what that means, I don’t have a boyfriend, nor have I ever been able to fit in a boyfriend’s jeans. Actually, not true. I wore my husband’s 501′s in 1989. Oh, yeah, I was around back then. And I was married.

But the Boyfriend Jeans conjures up a memory that I haven’t realized, one that sounds like lazy Sundays and soft, oversized t-shirts. Maybe sunny walks with the dog. Neighborhood coffee shops. Freshly mowed lawns. It’s a sweet, memorable moniker and I’m quite the sucker for words that sound just right. Describe something as buttery soft and I’ll be twice as likely to purchase it. Thank you, LL Bean, circa 1998.

All I know is that I needed a new pair of jeans. I’m rebelling against $300 jeans. I think it’s absurd and unnecessary to charge that much for denim. I went to Old Navy. They fit my body perfectly and, I might add, are buttery soft.

I did wear my boyfriend’s red plaid bondage pants, sans straps, when I was 18. They would have been useless for actual bondage, they didn’t seem very sturdy, but they looked pretty hot. My mondo creepers were red patent leather. Extra hot.

I’ve always wanted what my hairdresser and I called “mermaid hair”. In other words, hair long enough to provide a substantial amount of modestly, should one be inclined. For when the apocalypse vaporizes fabric, or something like that.

In December, I willingly had about 6 or 7 inches cut off, the health of my hair required it. That’s what it feels like to take a bunch of steps backwards. What’s the opposite of mermaid hair? Billy Idol hair? Ok, so not quite that drastic but somewhere in the ho-hum middle.

I have resisted the urge for a maintenance trim since December. Tenacity and laser-sharp focus on the end results at it’s finest. Professional advice carelessly tossed by the wayside. It’s my hair, after all. And as my sister said, if you want you hair to grow out, you really have to stop cutting it.

This coming Friday, I’m scheduled for the trim. All this to say, yes, my hair is up because it has looked better, and in a very short while, it will again.

I’ll just distract you with my mermaid nail polish until then. Look, squirrel!

I’m certain that my husband has an advanced degree in relaxing. Chillin’. Chillaxin’. Call it what you will, he’s got it down and I could learn a thing or two from him. When I lived in the Upper Haight in San Francisco I had a routine. I worked from home and would leave the house every afternoon to walk to the store and buy a cookie. I really did this for years. What can I say, I like a routine. Three blocks each way, one cookie and fresh produce for dinner. I would cross the panhandle, slowly, taking it all in; the dogs, the cyclists, friendly faces and neighbors.

I also started my day with a soy latté just around the corner, journaling and daydreaming. I spent an hour in the quiet hush of early morning orders by myself documenting every thought and emotion, turning stream of consciousness into poetry, day after day. My neighborhood cafe played great music, I rediscovered my love for electronic music. I once told a group of somewhat younger women about my morning routine. “You must really love yourself,” one said. Actually, yes.

Fast forward ten years. I no longer work from home. I have very little control over the kind of demands making their way across my day; I have some control over how I deal with the stress. Running, sometimes a drink after work, sometimes not. The most draining days require prescription strength television watching. We don’t even have cable. My husband and I met at work and carpool together, sharing one car. The routine is gone. It’s been replaced with coordinating schedules, grocery shopping, laundry days. Oh, and blogging.

I was washing the first batch of dusty Burning Man bins on Sunday when said husband exclaimed that he was going to chill for a while, complete with beer in hand. Envious, perhaps, I asked if he hadn’t just been relaxing. (This conversation can now go two ways.) Yes! He was going to relax again he proudly announced. He asked me to join him. Uncharacteristically, I put down what I was doing and grabbed my own beer. We sat and appreciated the million dollar view we’ve been blessed with and listened to hummingbirds whir.

LIke I said, I could learn a thing or two. The impressive stack of laundry that needs to be put away sitting in the back room is not going anywhere. Does it matter if I deprive myself of relaxing with my best friend only to put it away three days earlier? Of course it doesn’t. What matters is this: Carpe Diem. When I’m relaxed I photograph better. I write better. I dress myself better. I’m more creative. I’m nicer to myself and everyone around me. I would bet money that I will age less quickly if I subscribe to my husband’s plan. He’s not lazy. He gets things done. I try to get even more done and then beat myself up for not having done enough. I must be taking funny pills because that kind of math does not add up, does it?

What you see above is proof, actual photographic proof, that I came home tonight, popped open a hard cider and enjoyed our warm summer evening. After a day of such intense pattern mixing who wouldn’t need to unwind?

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Ah, mixing patterns. The old taboo. This one is not always easy to pull off. It’s easier when there are elements in common. In this case, the color red and the graphic nature of the clovers versus the stripes worked. One didn’t overpower the other which kept the outfit balanced, this is key. There are many tips out there on how to do this well. The Chic Fashionista has some good advice.

Don’t be afraid to give it a shot, it takes guts to step outside our comfort zones. There will be misses but there are sure to be hits, too.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway. I’ve got a lightweight scarf straight from Paris just begging to go home with you. Male or female, it matters not. This scarf is genderless and will flatter everyone. Check out The House in the Clouds on facebook to enter.

That’s right, I’m back from Burning Man. While it’s unlike any other life experience and it provides an insurmountable of fun, let no one tell you it’s easy. There’s a ton of prepping involved and just as much effort into settling back in. I must have done at least eight loads of laundry in the last three days. Seven days, two people, two sets of clothes, one for the heat and one for the cold. The back yard is host to two dusty bikes and the remaining five bins that need to be emptied upon which all contents will then be thoroughly washed.

But was it fun? Was it worth it? I’ll let the pictures do the talking. In the meantime, I’m starting to test out the Fall colors.

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I love that the days are still long enough to catch the golden light when I get home from work. I did some gardening this past Sunday for sanity’s sake. I’m standing in front of what used to be a tiny little flower garden less than a year ago. Watch those cannas grow!

I couldn’t resist wearing these earrings from farfetch.com. I love the play on nature between the branch and the tiny skull. I can’t resist a little edge amongst the flowers.

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This is just a visual sampling of the landscape and scene. Want to see more? Say the word and I’ll share my flickr album.

Good people, I bring you the debut of my “big blondes”, the hand-carved earrings that I bought before the honeymoon. They didn’t fit until this past weekend. Fortunately they’re incredibly light. I love the bold ethnic feel. One could say they’re my statement earrings. I’ve always been a big fan of big bold jewelry. In fact, I only started wearing lighter, more feminine pieces in the past year or so. I’ve embraced being girlie in my forties. Personal evolution is always cool.

I’m feeling the seventies vibe with this shirt. I picked up this 100% pure genuine polyester a few months back and rediscovered it yesterday. The lapels are ready for take-off, I like a shirt that can fly. By the way, did you notice that my canna just got its first flower this summer? I’m so proud of my little garden.

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A few days ago I received a comment about excessive accessorizing. I’m mostly in agreement, one can’t go wrong quoting Coco Chanel, she’s one of my style idols after all. I say I’m mostly in agreement because I also believe in pushing boundaries, breaking rules and taking chances. My style would never have evolved had I never taken chances. You win some, you lose some. But if you don’t try, you don’t find out.

I’m experimenting with the balance of wearing multiple pieces and how they can relate to each other.

This is my attempt at combining edgy and feminine. It worked for me because I wore the steampunk necklace lower into the neckline so that it was only partially visible every so often and I dug the juxtaposition.

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Fashion Beauty Friend Friday has evolved the schedule of the question and answer series from weekly to bi-monthly so that we may have more time to ruminate on each topic. The gap in the schedule provided an unforeseen opportunity. FBFF members can suggest any type of blog event for that week. For this week’s event we’re sharing where the magic happens, where our natural blogging habitat truly lies. It is brought to you by Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy. If you haven’t yet paid her blog a visit, I highly recommend doing so. She’s fantastic, has great style and does amazing things with color.

As you can see, mine is my bedroom. Though I share it with my husband, it is the designated girlie room of the house. Our bed has a memory foam topper and is unbelievably awesome, the pillows make it extra cushy. Normally my laptop lays on a big wooden cutting board, it makes the perfect platform. And yes, that’s Hami, the hamster in the corner.

Thank you Katy of Modly Chic for encouraging this topic. Friend Friday is an opportunity for fashion and beauty bloggers to share their thoughts on a specific topic and read what others have to say on that same topic. For more information, check out Modly Chic and welcome to the wonderful world of blogging!

Smiling with the flowers

I recently went back to the town I grew up in for lunch on a weekend. We were seated and served. All the while I couldn’t help but fixate on the faces around, familiar and strange at the same time. I recognized familial facial features and could take a guess at which families of my childhood they belonged to. How odd to consider that we can look so much like our parents and siblings, our cousins and aunts and uncles that we can be identified by strangers as belonging to our tribe.

These colors are perfect for spring

I walked into a Lower Haight street bar years ago to have the bartender ask me if I had a sister, proceeding to then describe my sister. We didn’t even live in the same city let alone run in the same circles. She was referring to my youngest sister who’s seven years younger than me, has slightly lighter skin and very long curly black hair.

At the time, I had very short blond hair.

I know we look alike but it’s because I know we’re about the same size, I know her face and her expression as intimately as I know my own. But how does a stranger know? Do we look so much like family in a poorly lit neighborhood bar that we give it away that easily?

I’m always amazed at the similarities between my sisters and I; the same smile, the same exact reactions and facial expressions to what someone said. What a precious thing it is to experience bits of myself in the mirror of my tribe.

Delicate rose necklace was a gift from the hubby

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As you’ve probably noticed by now, I’m hooked on this whole notion of dressing up shorts. These soft sage green shorts poof and pucker out like a little skirt. The high paper-bag waist redefines the waistline. To offset the bottom half, I chose a more form-fitting top and a simple fitted blazer. Platform sandals, (my favorite new shoe), and sandy beige flower pattern tights elongated my legs. I exchanged the sausage-effect causing DKNY tights that I had worn earlier for Nordstrom’s own brand. The House in the Clouds recommends them!

Last time I wore shorts I seemed to have piqued your interest. Have any of you given though to how you would execute this? I’m curious at how you’re thinking of putting an outfit with shorts together. Now that I’ve come back from vacation I’d like to put a “Show me your shorts” blog event together! Who’s in? You know you want to!

Is it going to be cold today or warm?

The weather these days, fickle at best, tricked me into prematurely retiring some of my warmer garb. Alas, I saved a sweater such as this little red number. In Las Vegas, it made its debut as a dress. For work, it will perform solely as a sweater. The short sleeves make it perfect for me, I get hot quickly in thick sweaters.

I had promised to show you the Smokey Eyes, I was prepared with pictures and everything. I spent the day attending a workshop on conflict management, the rhythm of my day suspended as I rushed from workshop to confirming that all the pieces and parts of a big event tomorrow are all falling into place. I left the camera in the drawer at work, in the camera was the camera card. The Smokey Eyes will have to wait.

However, if you feel like fighting about it, I’m pretty well-equipped to handle the conflict and deflect this potentially awkward situation. How’d you like them apples?

I have to admit, I’m fascinated with idioms such as this one. Really, what apples? I digress. Smokey Eyes. Yes, later.

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I added a few more pins to my boards, here’s a sampling. The offer I mentioned last week still stands, the lovely folks at Pinterest have extended invitations to fifteen lucky visitors. Leave me a comment below if you’re interested. I’ve been pinning DIY ideas for inspiration along with adding more style pins for the season.

Spring 2011 Faves

What would you like to do next? I seem to always have several projects I’m thinking of. I went nuts when I saw this felt embroidery, I don’t even know what I’d put it on but it was so awesome!

When wearing a tunic or long sweater over pants or leggings, keep a smooth profile by making sure there aren’t too many visible pockets and bumps, such as zippers and belt loops. Leggings are ideal but many pants can be suitable, too. Give it a once-over in advance to ensure against bumpy surprises.

Formal. But casual.

Some days feel like a rebirth of sorts. Some weeks are bullies pushing their sunshine way into my heart and soul. This happens to be one of those weeks. Patience finds itself at the end of a road, motivation runs at an all-time high. I have things I want to do and I’m going to start doing them now.

Spring has sprung

I’ve been coming home these past few weeks to a sun-filled living room, spring bursting through the windows without permission. I picked up a magazine tonight while grocery shopping. I sat on my bed and read for twenty minutes. For the first time in months I didn’t feel like I was running behind.

I still aspire to read for hours and hours, flipping switches and turning on lights while the light changes around me. But you know what? I’ll take those twenty minutes, I’ll laugh at the silly antics occurring in my household and it will feel really, really good. Spring is finally here in my world. How do you like that hot pink lip gloss from Joe Fresh? Spring landed right here on my face!

Coworker looks at my shoes and says “new wheels?” Me: “yes”

How is spring treating you? Do you find yourself emerging? Do you find yourself recharged? I’m dedicating this post to Bella of The Citizen Rosebud. We have had very different objectives for our Northern California weather. I want storm after storm, it means snowboarding.

Rockin’ the rosettes

Dusty pink and brown rosette belt

Sparrow and rose

It appears to be that I’ve signed myself up for so many different events that it’s been a challenge to get all my outfits up, but who can resist? So much fun to be had! Between that and being out of town from Friday night to Sunday night every week doesn’t help matters, either. I bring you four days worth of outfits with a highlight on my favorite accessories. Thanks for hanging in there!

Going red for women

I couldn’t resist having my hubby take my photo in his office. Yes! His office! He really does have an oversized bean bag chair like that, and we really do work at the same company. (We had to meet somewhere seven years ago.) I told you I’d bring the red for last Friday’s Go Red for Women. It’s here at last!

Rockin’ the plaid and patterns

One obi belt coming right up

You say “belt”, I say “bracelet”

Check it out! I’m feeling good about myself because I’m wearing two things I made today. That’s right, look who’s riding high and mighty on her DYI horse. Me!

I mentioned buying a couple of silk ties recently to make an obi belt, as seen in this tutorial from Angie of Fashion Me Blog. I did it! I made the belt and then I broke a bunch of rules about mixing patterns and look what came of it. Uh-huh.

On top of that, see that cool leather cuff with the embroidery on it? Yeah, that used to be a belt. I thrifted that little puppy, trimmed it, punched a hole in it and wore it. The beauty of these two projects is that they took almost no time. Extra bonus points!

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About me

I'm a passionate style blogger with a penchant for color, a love of details and a desire for comfort. I believe you can look good on any budget. Perpetuating positive body image is dear to me, my wish is to inspire you the same way that I've been inspired by others. Hope you enjoy the diversity of my musings.